KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City barbecue icon is joining another Hall of Fame.

Gates Bar-B-Q owner Ollie Gates will be inducted into the Missouri Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. The organization, along with friends and family, surprised Gates with the news Thursday at his restaurant.

Gates’ father George started the restaurant in the 1940s, first named Gates Old Kentucky or “Gates Ol’ Kentuck” at 19th and Vine.

The restaurant saw a few moves and name changes until Gates took over after his father’s death and it blossomed into what Kansas Citians know today as Gates Bar-B-Q. There are now five locations throughout the metro.

George Gates II, Ollie’s son and his grandfather’s namesake, told FOX4 in 2021 that barbecue is a family tradition, and they don’t plan to stop any time soon.

The eatery has flavors famous to Kansas Citians, including the pork ribs, beef brisket and chicken wings.

And as a Black-owned business, family and community are two of Gates’ main values, and some of the many things that keep customers coming back.

In 2021, Ollie Gates was also inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame. Now in February, he will be recognized at the Restaurant Association Gala for another Hall of Fame induction.